In a mobile communication network a subscriber gets registered with a network for accessing various communication services. The network can be a home network or a visited network for a subscriber based on the registration of the subscriber with the network. A home network is a network with which a subscriber has subscribed for accessing various communication services. However, a visited network is a network with which a subscriber, while roaming, registers temporarily for availing various communication services. The various communication services can be for example, initiating a call or receiving a call. Generally, a subscriber initiating a call in a mobile communication network is referred as a caller and a subscriber receiving a call in a mobile communication network is referred as a callee.
Conventionally, when a call is initiated by a caller for a callee present in a callee home network corresponding to the callee, caller prevailing network corresponding to the caller routes the call to the callee home network. In this case the call routed from the caller prevailing network to the callee home network is charged to the caller. The caller prevailing network is a network in which the caller is currently registered to access the wireless telecommunication services. The caller prevailing network can be for example a home network for the caller or a visited network for the caller.
Further, in a scenario when the callee is roaming in a callee visited network, then the callee home network routes the call to the callee visited network in which the callee is roaming. In this case, the originating leg, i.e., from caller prevailing network to the callee home network, is charged to the caller. However, the terminating leg, i.e., the call routed from the callee home network to the callee visited network, is charged to the callee. Therefore, a roaming charge is levied on the callee for receiving the call.
The U.S. patent application US20050164702A1, titled, “Call Handling Scheme to reduce Roaming Charges” assigned to Carlson, Steven I.; et al., proposes a scheme for forwarding the call made to a subscriber who is roaming such that it results in cost savings for the roaming subscriber. In this patent application, a second switch receives an indication from a roaming network that a call forwarded by the roaming network has been dropped by the roaming network, and in response to receiving the indication, forwards the call from a first switch.
Another method as disclosed in the U.S. patent application US20030092440A1, titled, “System and Method For Minimizing International Roaming Costs”, assigned to Warrier, Unnikrishnan S.; et al., deals with minimizing international roaming costs that leverages an existing communication network to convert roaming communication sent to and from a mobile telephone into a series of local telephone calls to and from the communication network. Using a universal address, subscribers of the communication system can initiate or participate in real-time communication through the network while roaming outside of a home system, without incurring roaming charges.
However, reducing roaming cost for the callee might result in an increased cost for the caller which is an undesirable situation for the caller. Also using temporary numbers for reducing roaming cost for the callee requires a universal database accessible to each of the networks in the mobile communication network.